Nothing is Black and White with Payne’s Gray

During a 2011 interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, contemporary British painter George Thomas Shaw described Payne’s Gray as “the color of English rain” (1). This simple characterization delineates the essence of a color that nearly every painter knows. And yet, most artists could not tell you who William Payne was or what pigments were originally used to create it. Payne’s original blend might surprise you, as it’s quite different than the modern premixed versions we take for granted when we reach for this go-to color. Artists will discover the pigment combination that “feels” right for their artistic needs. This article also provides a brief albeit blurry glance at who was William Payne. As you’ll discover, things are rarely black and white when it comes to Payne’s Gray.

WILLIAM PAYNE: TEACHER, INNOVATOR, AND ARTIST

If you have not read very much about William Payne, you’re not alone. It seems no one who actually contributed to his biographies knew him personally. Few bothered to record Payne’s history when he was living. He is listed as being in over 100 art exhibitions, was a noted art instructor, developed innovative painting techniques and has a color hue named after him. And yet, he seems to have been underappreciated and dismissed by the art elite.

“Of William Payne but little is recorded: the place and date of his birth and death are forgotten.”

– Basil S. Long, January 1922 issue of Walker’s Quarterly (1)

Long further writes that “he (Payne) was probably born in Devonshire” around 1755-1760. Long goes on to inform us that Payne worked as a civil engineer (supposedly a Second assistant of the Master Shipwright) at the Plymouth Government dockyard before moving to London and devoting himself exclusively to art around 1790. The first documented display of Payne’s artwork was at an art exhibition in Grosvenor Square in 1776 (5).

Being true to his dedication to art, Payne began offering art instruction and continued to display his landscape paintings and etchings. He was sought after as a teacher and “…almost every family of fashion we anxious that their sons and daughters should have the benefit of his tuition.” (5) This is likely due to his departure from the typical techniques of the time, as Payne is cited for his innovative painting methods, such as “dragging” or smudging paint across the watercolor paper with a rag or bread to create sunlight and atmosphere. His unconventional painting techniques include the use of a split, worn brush to create foliage, texture, and shadow. He abandoned the common practice of outlining watercolors in pen and ink.

Although William Payne managed to be successful in selling his work, he never really reached a level of status as an “important” artist of the time. During the final chapter of his life, Payne’s painting style went through an unsuccessful degression, with the result as somber as the color he created. According to the Dictionary of National Biography, “…his art had degenerated into mannerism. He was surpassed by better artists, and forgotten before he died.” William Payne died (presumedly) in 1830, which coincides with his last reported gallery exhibition (6).

ONTO THE COLOR MIXTURES!

The ambiguity of William Payne’s life and career are surpassed by the supposed original recipe he used to create his namesake color. In 1804, J.W. Alston states that William Payne used a combination of Indigo, Raw Sienna, and Lake.  A “Lake” colorant is usually an inert clay base to which a dye is attached. The most commonly used red lakes were Rose Madder or a Carmine, Scarlet or Crimson made from Cochineal. (9).

The first premixed version of Payne’s Gray is listed in the 1861 Winsor & Newton paint catalog, and later by Reeves in 1872, Rowney around 1885, Standage in 1887, and Seward in 1889. The actual colorants used by Winsor & Newton were not revealed until 1896 as being Indigo, (Cochineal) Lake, and Carbon Black. Reeves stated theirs to be Ultramarine (Blue), Carbon Black, and Alizarin. (8). The premixed commercial products were not only varied by the manufacturer but by paint type. Watercolor paints were more likely to be created using crimson, ochre, blue, and sometimes black mixtures, whereas by 1901, oil paints companies began moving towards the use of Ultramarine Blue and a black pigment, often Ivory due to the improved permanence (9). QoR and several other watercolor brands currently use a mix of Phthalo Blue (green shade), Carbon Black, and Quinacridone Violet. GOLDEN Acrylics and Williamsburg Oils use the Ultramarine Blue with Black mixture. Interestingly enough, William Payne was after a neutral gray. 

“THE ORIGINAL?” RECIPE #1

Background: Background: In the 1885-1900 edition of the Dictionary of National Biography, William Cosmo Monkhouse drearily described Payne’s recipe: “He was surpassed by better artists, and forgotten before he died… the invention by which he is best known is a neutral tint composed of indigo, raw sienna, and lake” (2). Since there isn’t a true Indigo or Lake, and QoR Indigo Color is a blend of PB15:3, PBk7, and PV19, we’ll use Indanthrone Blue (aka Anthraquinone Blue) instead. Then we’ll use our Permanent Alizarin Crimson (PR 177, also known as Anthraquinone Red) to mix with our QoR Raw Sienna to get things started.

Result: This combination produces a lovely purplish gray that seems to represent a proper Payne’s Gray.

RECIPE #2

Background: According to Handprint.com, William Payne “…developed Payne’s Gray as a mixture of iron blue (PB27), yellow ochre and a crimson lake, used as a dark violet shadow color.” (4) Iron Blue is another name for this same pigment which these days is more commonly known as Prussian Blue. Prussian Blue was first discovered accidentally by the Berliner Diesbach in 1704 when he was trying to create a Florentine Lake. (3). In this example we combine the Prussian with QoR’s lightfast Quinacridone Crimson (PR 122/PR206), which is a blend of Quinacridone Magenta with Quinacridone Burnt Orange (PR206).

Result: Having Prussian Blue helped achieve a darker color, but the Quin Burnt Orange kicks out into the lighter wash, which takes away from the overall hue.

RECIPE #3

Background: Katy Kelleher references this mixture in her 2018 “Color Stories” article regarding all things Payne’s Gray. “Payne made his namesake gray by mixing a good deal of Prussian Blue with a smidge of yellow ochre and a dab of crimson lake.” (1)  The use of Prussian Blue and Permanent Alizarin Crimson with Yellow Ochre gives a harmonious balance of mixing properties.

Result: This mixture results in a smooth, uniform wash, allowing a solid-toned black, and yet can still be pulled into the soft lilac direction in weaker, more transparent washes. Adjusting the pigment ratios allows for a great range of grays and neutrals and also works really well as a primary set if you don’t mind ochre as your yellow.  This combination proved to be quite successful, due to the ability to match other Payne’s Gray blends coupled with a greatly improved lightfastness.

RECIPE #4

Background: Since we are using QoR Modern Watercolors for our evaluations we will start with the base pigments Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PB15:3), Carbon Black PBk7) & Quinacridone Violet (PV19) used to create QoR’s version of Payne’s Gray. This blend yields an intensely dark color that results in washes with a subtle bias towards bluish-purple. Other paint brands use a very similar combination.

Result: It’s easy to see why this mixture is so popular; the intense full strength gives way to thunderstorm cloud grays with ease. See the above image of QoR’s Payne’s Gray.

RECIPE #5

Background: Black and Blue-based blends are used in most of today’s premixed Payne’s Grays. Some companies use Ultramarine Blue or Phthalo Blue (or both) and combine them with Lamp Black, Carbon Black, or Ivory Black (a.k.a. Bone Black). Regardless, the resulting color ends in a similar conclusion

Result: It’s an easy mixture to create, but lacks character. It seems ironic that a color that was invented to be a great alternative to using black is now most often made using black. Still, lowering the intensity of pure black paint to shade other colors is very helpful. It’s very easy to overshoot the amount of Carbon Black in any mixture, and why Ivory/Bone Black is likely more commonly used for the pre-mixed offerings.

RECIPE #6

Background: Ultramarine Blue combined with Burnt Sienna is quite popular with artists that like to blend their own Payne’s Gray, especially those seeking to avoid the use of black pigments.

Result: Result: This mixture just feels right and in line with the three tri-color blends without any black. It’s softer, and perfect for watercolorists that love their granulating colors. The mottled mixture allows you to read both pigments, creating more interest in washes.

SUMMARY

There are many artists who devote time, paint and paper, who post their personal discoveries online and in print, confirming the interest and value of this color is still relevant today. Which version each artist gravitates towards is based on their unique perspective, and therefore there’s no true “right” or “wrong” recipe. It is a fascinating exercise nonetheless and gave us a reason to attempt to uncover what we think would be familiar to William Payne. And of course, an “update” to using more lightfast colors is important as well.

As always, post your comments and questions! – Mike Townsend

Note: QoR Modern Watercolors were used to recreate the versions of “Payne’s Gray”. Other brands, including what is used for the GOLDEN Acrylic and Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors might not use the same pigments as QoR. Therefore, mixtures using other brands may or may not create the same hue in this article.

Bibliography

1. https://www.theawl.com/2018/01/paynes-gray-the-color-of-english-rain-and-henry-millers-paris/#:~:text=He%20even%20told%20The%20Guardian%20that%20Payne%E2%80%99s%20gray,Shaw%2C%20Payne%E2%80%99s%20Grey%20II%202007-2008%20%C2%A9%20the%20artist
2. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Payne,_William_(fl.1800)
3. JustPaint.Org “Some Historical Pigments and their Replacements” https://justpaint.org/some-historical-pigments-and-their-replacements/
4. Handprint.com http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/waterw.html
5. https://archive.org/stream/williampaynewate00longuoft/williampaynewate00longuoft_djvu.txt
6. https://archive.org/details/williampaynewate00longuoft/page/n1/mode/2up
7. https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/paint/watercolour/professional-watercolour/?attribute_pa_wn_colour_name=paynes-gray&attribute_pa_wn_colour_size=half-pan&sku=094376550535
8. Alston, J.W., Hints to young Practitioners in the Study of Landscape Painting, London, n.d. [c.1804]
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermes_(dye)